Cell Language Theory, The: Connecting Mind And Matter

Key Terms and Concepts 19

“6x9” b2861 The Cell Language Theory: Connecting Mind and Matter

2.2.4 Peircean Information (IPe) in Relation to the

Shannon Information (ISh)

The Peircean information, IPe, will be defined as the information carried

by a sign. A sign, according to Peirce (see Section 6.3.1), embodies a tri­

adic relation in that it is related to two other entities called object it refers

to and interpretant that it induces in the mind of the interpreter. We can

represent this definition of a sign using the category diagram shown in

Figure 2.3.

Object Sign Interpretant

fg

h

Figure 2.3 A diagrammatic representation of a sign defined by Peirce. f = sign produc­

tion. g = sign interpretation. f = correspondence or information flow. The arrows read

“determines”.

(2.9)

Figure 2.4 can be stated in words thus:

A sign is determined by its object and determines its interpretant in

such a way that interpretant is also determined by the same object.

The term “information” occurs in Figure 2.3 in connection with

step h which is here identified with the Peircean information, IPe.

However, step f can also be associated with information, since this step

is associated with selection, i.e., selecting W messages out of W 0 pos­

sible ones and hence generates the Shannon information, ISh, according

to Eq. (2.4). In step g, sign induces some effects on the mind of the sign

interpreter, not all of which would be grounded in or correspond to

object and hence carry the information originating in the object.

Therefore, the difference between ISh and IPe is clear — the former is

determined by f alone, whereas the latter is determined by f and g or

by h. We may summarize this difference by saying that ISh is dyadic

(relation between two entities), whereas IPe is triadic (relation among

three entities).

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